Module - 6 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR - nptel

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NPIEL Consumer Behavior Vinod Gupta School of Management person’s self-image. For example for convenience goods or day-to-day household goods, the consumer would base his purchase on his actual self-image. On the other hand, for shopping goods or specialty goods, he would be guided by the social self-image or the ideal self-image. This could have implications for a marketer in terms of market segmentation and positioning. Self-image can be used as a basis to segment the market, and the marketer can then position his product/service offering as a symbol of such self- images. Brand Personality: Just as individuals’ have a personal make-up with characteristics/traits/qualities, similarly products/services also have personalities. Brand personality refers to a set of characteristics/qualities similar to human beings that become associated with a brand. Based on their understanding, consumers’ begin to ascribe certain characteristics or traits to a brand. This association between the characteristic/trait and the brand gets generated out of the manner in which it is positioned by the marketer. Thereafter, consumers match the product and/or brand personalities, with their own personalities, self-image and self concept; and they buy those where they find a close or perfect match. Sometimes they buy such product/brands that help them bolster their weak or inferior self. Some personality traits with examples of brands are mentioned below: a) Sophistication: Dove, Titan Raga b) Ruggedness: Levi’s Jeans, Bajaj Pulsar c) Power: Surf, Rin, Hero Honda d) Achievement: Boost, Glucon C e) Competence: Kingfisher Airlines, IBM f) Sincerity: Life Insurance Corporation, Western Union Money Transfer Joint Initiative IITs and IISc – Funded by MHRD - 16 -
NPIEL Consumer Behavior Vinod Gupta School of Management 6.3.6 <strong>CONSUMER</strong> PERSONALITY, SELF-CONCEPT AND SELF-IMAGE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR MARKETERS: Consumer personality, self-concept and self image have implications for a marketer. Consumers’ purchase and usage of product and service offerings is reflective of his personality, self-concept, and self-image. Consumers generally buy those products/brands, whose personality matches their own. For marketers this is important as they must know that consumers make purchase decisions to support their personality, self-concept and self-image. The concept of self helps a marketer to understand, predict, and direct the purchase decisions of consumers. Thus, marketers need to understand the congruity between personality, self-concept and self-image of the customers, vis a vis, the brand personality and image of the product/service offering. The study of consumer personality, self-concept and self-image can be useful for a marketer in the following ways: 1. Every person is unique in oneself, and thus personality reflects individual differences. Yet, while we are different, we may be similar to each other on a trait (s), and could constitute a personality type (s). A person’s decision with regard to the brand as well as the timing and place of purchase, the amount purchased, its usage and disposal, are all based on his personality. This could have implications for a marketer who could treat each personality type as a separate segment, position his offering accordingly and design the 4Ps. Drawing upon from various theories on personality, marketers can formulate and implement marketing strategies, through first segmenting the market, targeting it, positioning their product/service offering, and designing the marketing mix accordingly. This would help him classify segments, provide the product/service offering accordingly, and design the mix in terms of price, place and promotion. 2. Self-concept is closely related with personality, and individuals would buy such products/services, which match their concepts and personalities. The study of consumer self-concept helps a marketer understand how the “actual” and “ideal” selves come into play in the marketplace. A consumer tries to relate his Joint Initiative IITs and IISc – Funded by MHRD - 17 -
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Module - 6 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR - nptel

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